CHAPTER TWO-Arising

Philip let out the groan he had been holding. He was hard as a rock and needed release bad. This was the first time since the accident, that he had an erection. Nothing his wife did affected him, and she was a sexy woman but yet, nothing. Many nights he lay in bed willing himself to get hard, as he thought about women he had been with before, p*rn he watched when he was a teen but nothing. She tried a few times and after no response from him, she gave up and went to sleep. Philip never made any attempt to ease her frustration either. Several times when she thought he was in a deep sleep, she touched herself and tried to muffle her groans but he knew.

The mood was just not there, and he had no intention of forcing it. He saw many times how she looked at him when she thought he couldn’t see her but he understood, what wife wants to put up with no sex in her marriage, even if it was a business deal.

Philip decided he would go out to watch Maddy’s second set, then he looked down and the tent in his pants and groaned again. He wheeled behind his desk and called for Andre. The door opened and Philip’s fists clenched.

“Sir, is something wrong? Are you in pain?”

“It happened Andre.” Philip groaned out loud this time. It took a few seconds for Andre to register what he was referring to and then it clicked when she saw his discomfort.

“Is that why you called her in here?” Andre asked with a grin on her face. It was her job to know everything about the man in front of her. When Andre needed a job and a home, Philip was there for her, she owed him her life.

“All this time, I thought it was me, Kate never brought this out in me but when I saw Maddison dancing, I...”

“She is a beautiful girl, curves in all the right places. I’m not surprised at your reaction.”

Philip chuckled at his long-time friend.

“You going back out? She is on again and some heavy hitters are throwing US hundred-dollar bills at the stage.”

Philip chuckled.

“Who says London is a poor country? All of them throwing money at her aren’t even from here, they are staying at one of my Villas nearby.”

“Why am I not surprised, well are you?”

“I can’t, haven’t recovered from the second time yet.” Philip laughed at his own situation.

“Jesus’ boss. Need me to get a drink for you?”

“Yeah, a club soda and a bottle of wine to chill, oh and some wings, two different sauces, salad and you can relax for a bit. Maddison wants to get to know me before she agrees to be my girlfriend.”

“Boss...”

“Kate is on her way-out Andre; I can’t wait much longer. I’m unhappy, you know this. If I felt anything towards her, I would try to work it out, I would stay. I just can’t bring myself to touch her. The document she signed said I can terminate our marriage anytime I see fit and this is the time. The whole time Maddy was here… I felt like I was back in my teen years.” Philip chuckled. He looked up at Andre and frowned. “What are you not telling me Andre?” Andre sighed.

“I think Kate and Mike are sleeping together.” No frills or sugar coating.

Philip’s fists clenched. “Where are they now?”

“If I told you, promise me not to have them killed when you see them.” “I promise.”

“Second floor, room 35B.” Andre stepped back as her boss immediately wheeled himself out of the room.

“Go get the stuff ready for Maddison, make her comfortable until I return.” “Okay. Philip, You promised.” Andre only called him Philip when she was worried about his reaction to something awful.

“I know Andre. Get me the master key.”

Andre handed his boss a key from his pocket. Philip laughed. “What would I do without you? Get going.”

Philip, went to the elevator that led to the rooms over the club. He didn’t care who used them, as long as they paid and didn’t cause trouble. As he reached 35B, he swiped the key card in the lock and turned it. He could hear the loud moans and skin slapping as he approached the bedroom. Philip felt cold as his eyes landed on his wife and his brother. He knew she was cheating, he accepted that he could not fulfil her needs but his brother? His brother’s betrayal cut him deep. This he did not expect at all.

“Harder Mike!” Kate screamed as her lover pounded into her from behind. Spanking her ass with one hand.

Philip, reached into a hidden pocket in his chair and pulled out his gun and rested it on his lap. He wasn’t going to shoot either one of them but if they made a move, well…

“Take it, you can’t get this from my crippled brother, can you?” “Shut up Mike!”

 stilled. Did they have sex? He needed to know.

“Did you two have sex?”

“That is NONE of your business, he has never been unkind to me, we just aren’t compatible. Look if you can’t give me what I want, you can leave!” “Aww baby come on, you know I get jealous when I see you with him, knowing how inside you feels.” He shoved into her roughly, making her cry out.

“MIKE!”

“Yeah that’s how you like it, I bet Philip never even sniffed you.”

“Jesus, what the fuck are you on, leave him out of this!” Kate yelled as Mike used her like a stuffed toy.

A voice from behind them sounded, stopping them in mid-stroke.

“I find it funny, that you are screwing my wife’s brains out and me the man who is in a wheelchair, still makes you jealous.”

“Philip! OH MY GOD! Mike, get off me!” Kate flopped onto her stomach and scrambled to get away from Mike.

“Don’t stop on my account. Kate, I understand why you did it, but Mike... anyway. Kate, we will discuss this the next time we see each other. Mike you are fired.”

Philip wheeled himself out and headed for the elevator. Getting in he made his way back to his private room. When he thought of who was waiting for him, anticipation kicked in and he got hard again, this time he grabbed himself and squeezed, trying to ease his tension. It was useless.

As he entered the room again, the scent of Exclamation invaded his nostrils. She was here. “Hello Philip.” Philip froze. Gone was the made-up, dressed up dancer, standing in front of him was the sexiest woman in the world. She was dressed so simple in a

pair of washed-out jeans and a navy blue off shoulder top. Philip felt like a lusty teenager again. He squeezed his eyes together and tried to calm his body down. He groaned and turned away from her.

“Are you okay? Do you need me to get Andre?” Maddy asked softly as she moved toward Philip and stood behind him. Philip groaned again and adjusted himself.

“I’m sorry, I… I thought I could do this, but I can’t.”

“Oh. I’m sorry I wasted your time. If I can keep my job, I would appreciate it.” She moved to head to the door. Philip turned quickly, reached out and grabbed her wrist gently.

“Maddy, I’m not rejecting you, quite the opposite. Sit, have some food and wine and we will talk.”

“Tell me what’s wrong with you first, in case I have to get Andre and explain what’s happening.”

Philip sighed. How do you tell a stranger that just seeing her made you so hard, you could pound nails. “It’s embarrassing.” Philip said as he shifted in his seat.

“Philip, I work in an elite club, your clients try to pay me thousands of dollars just to see me naked, ain’t much I haven’t seen.”

“I’ve been married to a woman for over five months, she has never managed to turn me on. I saw you dancing, and I’ve been having erections ever since.” He said everything in a rush.

He took a deep breath and waited for Maddy to call him nasty names and leave. “Is that all?”

“I want you Maddy, not because of my reaction but something about you calls to me, I need to find out what it is if you let me.” “I see.” Maddy sat down on the sofa and sneaked a peek the food she knew was under the bell cover. “Mmmm wings, my favorite and with Sausa’s special sauce.

She dipped her finger in the sauce and licked it off with only her tongue.

“Jesus Christ Maddison.” Philip gripped the wheelchair arm, and his body shook as he fought his desires. She was doing this on purpose.

“Philip.” Maddy’s voice penetrated his thoughts. He opened his eyes slowly and saw her watching him intently. “Let’s make a deal.”

She said in a low tone that sent needles and pins through Philip’s body. She was killing him. “Tell me, hurry before I embarrass myself further.”

“Divorce your wife, I will be the girlfriend, I don’t want anything from you but loyalty. I’ve been cheated on, lied to, verbally and physically abused all my life. I don’t need that from you. You asked me for honesty, I am asking you for fidelity and simple respect. I don’t need your money; I work hard for what I want. I will devote myself to you as long as you need me.”

“No.” Philip said firmly as he looked her dead in the eyes. Maddy stood straight, waiting for him to continue.

“There is no way, you will have the title as my girlfriend and I not share my wealth with you. I was raised by a good woman, she knew her self-worth and if she found out that I had a woman as lovely as you and didn’t spend money on her, she would skin me alive and call me luggage. If we don’t work out, you have to be able to see rewards for your effort. It’s not up for debate.” “Do I have a choice?”

“No. Next issue.”

“I hate when people yell at me. I will let you be the man you need to be but I need to be the woman I am. I don’t need saving; I am quite willing to work for what I need in life. Fancy cars, clothes are not important to me. What I care about is how people treat me 24 hours a day and not just when they want to look good to their peers.” “Honey, I understand you quite well, look, I have some serious issues to deal with on my end, I am not saying it will be easy but all I really need from you is to believe in me, pay attention to my needs as a man. If something is wrong tell me to my face, don’t hide things from me. Hurt my feelings with the truth if you have to.”

“Okay then, anything else popping up we have to promise to deal with it together.” Maddy said softly as she sat down and smiled at Philip.

“Agreed. Next thing, I took a glance at your Resume, why are you in a club dancing when you should be the one running it?”

Maddy sighed loudly and covered her face with her hands. Could she trust this man with her story? Yes.

“I had a crush on my next-door neighbor from the time I knew what a crush was. He was my Prince Charming, he taught me so many things as he was very intelligent, but what I didn’t know was that because I wanted to get married before I had sex, he cheated on me for eight years. I was clueless. I thought he loved me. I found videos on his laptop of the women he was involved with. When I compared them to myself, I kept wondering why was he with me? They were beautiful, most of them well-off. I got up the courage but when I tried to break it off, he tried to kill me twice. Told me he didn’t groom me all those years for someone else to benefit.” Maddy let the memories flow through her as the tears fell. Philip gripped the wheelchair handle hard. His heart ached for the woman in front of him. He wanted to tell her that she didn’t need to say anymore, as he could see how painful it was for her to tell him, currently a stranger to her but he waited.

“I ran from here, went overseas to study, got my degrees in Human Resources Management and Business Marketing. I stayed in touch with my family, I had gotten scholarships for all my studies, Summa Cum Laude when it was all over. I achieved all my parents wanted for me at that point, but I was scared to come home. I sucked it up and flew back here to find work and help my parents, within a few days, Dave found me. Told me if I didn’t come back to him, he would kill me this time.

He was sleeping with all kinds of women, spreading STDs and having unwanted babies, threatening the women so they would have abortions. Fortunately for me, one of the women he was involved with found out about the life he lived and she… killed him. I honed my dancing skills when I was away, trained in every area but my fear of being involved with anyone, kept me in the dark. I wanted to be a part of the background, so I applied here and started working. Seems I can’t stay out of the limelight anymore since you set your eyes on me. People don’t recognize me when I leave here, I am a completely different person. When I am on stage, I pull out all the stops, when I get home, I feel alone, useless and unwanted.”

Maddy finished and wiped the rest of her tears away. “I think I better go.”

She got up to leave and Philip reached out and grabbed her hand gently.

She was thinking Philip wouldn’t want her anymore but when she looked at him. She saw… desire. It was soul searching for her.

“Thank you for sharing that with me, I know it was hard for you. I maybe in a wheelchair but I will do my best to protect you from all the bad things out there, including me.”

“You are harmless to me Philip.” She smiled.

“Oh honey, you have no idea. The food must be cold, let me get Andre to heat it up.” Philip looked at the door to yell for Andre, but Maddy stopped him as she lifted the food cover. “Nope, it’s still warm and the wine is nice and chilled, let’s eat.”

Philip’s heart picked up, this woman was meant for him, he knew he had to give his best shot at making her happy. His only issue was how she would react to his scars when they were intimate. He shook off the negative feeling and watched as Maddy started to eat. She pushed the plate so he could have access and then poured wine into his glass. She looked up at him and licked her fingers.

“What?” Maddy asked as she saw him looking at her.

“Nothing much, being here with you makes me feel appreciated.”

“I’m glad I could make you feel that way. Can I ask you a question?” She let her eyes fell on his legs.

“My brother and I got into a fight, he tripped and was about to be it by a car and I pushed him away, the car hit me instead, I have no feeling in my legs for the most part.” Maddy gasped.

“Oh Philip, I’m so sorry. How long where you in the chair? Can’t the doctors do anything?”

“Over a year, had a few operations but the result was the same, I gave up. I’m still alive, that’s what counts.”

“Fair enough. I want to ask you something very personal Philip, you don’t have to answer.” “Ask me.”

“You haven’t had sex since the accident?” “No, my urges were buried under rage, depression and self-loathing and 20- hour work days. I don’t want anyone to see my scars.”

why did you get married then?”

“I was lonely, Kate had taken an interest in me, I knew she just needed the money but at least I would have someone there when I came home. I never touched her.”

Philip frowned.

“When you were doing your set, I went upstairs and saw her and my brother having sex.” “Oh my god Philip, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, I never loved her, she never loved me, I fired my brother, and my divorce papers are already being prepared, so no worries. You on the other hand, I find myself wanting to be with you, needing that smile to be aimed at me. I’m not sure if I can even…, or how to.” Philip sighed in frustration. He felt Maddy cup his face and tilt his head to look at her.

“One step at a time Philip, we just met, let us grow our relationship, make assessments along the way. I have a feeling we will be just fine.”